rvtravels
Weekender RV’er
Sportmen classic 180QB.
Posts: 85
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Post by rvtravels on Nov 28, 2022 20:29:53 GMT -5
On my long trip I had a leaf spring snap, luckly it happened as I will pulling into a Pilot.
Beither a single axle it could have ripped the siding apart and done all sorts of damage.
Ggood Sam, useing a third party vendor, who used another vendor, got the leaf springs replaced at a whopping 800 plus dollars. The spring cost normally 75 bucks they charged 175 and 185 an hour labour.
Job should have been less than half the cost.
So beware of Good Sam.....
My question is, does anyone know how to secure a leaf spring on a single axle trailer, so if the left breaks no one is killed and no major damage is done?
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Post by nvguy on Nov 28, 2022 23:22:48 GMT -5
Not that this will make you feel better, but broken leaf springs aren't all that common, if they were you can bet Camping World or Lippert would have some sort of axle holder that bolted on. With that being said, one could probably fab up something quickly using cable or if one is a skilled fabricator something a bit more structural- think "ladder bar" from the drag racing world. Here is a very generic pic I grabbed as an example;  |
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Post by 660catman on Nov 29, 2022 8:55:41 GMT -5
They know they got you when your travelling with an RV. Factor in travel time for the repair truck and it’s not too far out of line. In all my 45 years of trailer ownership I’ve had one spring crack on me. It was on my 4 place snowmobile trailer. I caught it during my summer inspection. As a precaution I changed all 4 sets along with all the hangers and bolts. Salt is a killer on our stuff in winter.
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rvtravels
Weekender RV’er
Sportmen classic 180QB.
Posts: 85
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Post by rvtravels on Nov 29, 2022 9:44:09 GMT -5
Thanks guys,it us the 1st one I have had in10 000 miles. Funny as it may seem, but while I was at Pilot with the repair guy, two other trailers, one with a leaf spring problem...the other had his whole wheel sheared off.(lucky he had dual axles and limped in on 3 wheels).
They were begging the repair guy to assist them.
Seems there may be a market for some sort of brace for the leaf spring problem,especially on single axle trailers.
I do crawl under the trailer every so often and check things out....but how do you tell when a leaf spring is about to go?
Out of interest I replaced the 2nd spring for $400.
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Post by 660catman on Nov 29, 2022 12:34:43 GMT -5
You never know when they’re going to break. All you can do is inspect them for cracks before trips. I take it the main leaf cracked? Did it crack at the alignment pin?
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Post by Edd505 on Dec 8, 2022 22:38:07 GMT -5
On my long trip I had a leaf spring snap, luckly it happened as I will pulling into a Pilot. Beither a single axle it could have ripped the siding apart and done all sorts of damage. Ggood Sam, useing a third party vendor, who used another vendor, got the leaf springs replaced at a whopping 800 plus dollars. The spring cost normally 75 bucks they charged 175 and 185 an hour labour. Job should have been less than half the cost. So beware of Good Sam..... My question is, does anyone know how to secure a leaf spring on a single axle trailer, so if the left breaks no one is killed and no major damage is done? GS's a thief as you discovered. They over charge for most everything and the labor rate was $135 an hour last time I was in one of their stores. Unless I have to have it now, I order on line and do my own repairs. GS has cheap road side and lots of issues, Coach Nets a little more but responsive. That said they don't do repairs but get you to a repair shop, a good auto shop can replace a spring it's not that hard.
Back to the original topic, the broken spring. Were you over loaded? You might want to look at trailer helper springs to increase the load, then tires may need up graded, or the entire axle. Sorry you had the issue it sucks to have an issue while on the road.
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Post by wahoo on Dec 9, 2022 15:12:04 GMT -5
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rvtravels
Weekender RV’er
Sportmen classic 180QB.
Posts: 85
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Post by rvtravels on Dec 17, 2022 10:14:55 GMT -5
Trailer not overloaded, but close to max. I replaced with correct springs, but with an extra leaf. Also added Sumo Super Springs (like a rubber stopper). The benifit they have (besides acting as a shock) is it holds the spring and axle together so in the event, of a spring break the axle sits on the rubber stop instead of a total collapse.
Expensive but a good solution.
See Weekenders link about....thanks.😁
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Post by laknox on Dec 19, 2022 9:22:01 GMT -5
Trailer not overloaded, but close to max. I replaced with correct springs, but with an extra leaf. Also added Sumo Super Springs (like a rubber stopper). The benifit they have (besides acting as a shock) is it holds the spring and axle together so in the event, of a spring break the axle sits on the rubber stop instead of a total collapse. Expensive but a good solution. See Weekenders link about....thanks.😁 In my opinion, while you can add a heavier axle or more spring leaves, you really can't do anything about the frame. Ir's pretty well a given that the frames on 99% of RVs are built just strong enough to handle the rated gross weight with very little safety margin. Lyle |
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rvtravels
Weekender RV’er
Sportmen classic 180QB.
Posts: 85
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Post by rvtravels on Dec 19, 2022 10:11:08 GMT -5
I certainly don't recomend going over the GVWR, but often RVs will travel loaded to the max. Many highways are but rough, especially secondary roads in rural areas.
I have now...
Upgraded springs.
Added sumo springs helpers.
Upgraded the axle
Reinforced the frame and tongue.
I also stripped all I could inside to lower weight, such as removing bathroom door etc.
Result is I have some more CC while remaining in the GVWR and have a higher comfort level,knowing that the running items and frame are reinforced.
In other words its built as KZ should have built it in the 1st place.
😱
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Post by milpol4523 on Apr 12, 2023 19:23:40 GMT -5
you are lucky they even sent someone. 3 summers ago while travelling in Maine we blew a tire on our tow behind. when we called they said they could not find the city of Bangor in Washington state???
then when I gave them the GPS coordinates they said no one was available to come and assist on the side of the road. that we had to wait for 24 hours and CALL BACK!
We were between 2 RV dealerships and i made a call and had someone there in 25 minutes.
tire changed and a new one purchased.
GS is a waste of time and money in my opinion.
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Post by Edd505 on Apr 20, 2023 19:49:29 GMT -5
you are lucky they even sent someone. 3 summers ago while travelling in Maine we blew a tire on our tow behind. when we called they said they could not find the city of Bangor in Washington state??? then when I gave them the GPS coordinates they said no one was available to come and assist on the side of the road. that we had to wait for 24 hours and CALL BACK! We were between 2 RV dealerships and i made a call and had someone there in 25 minutes. tire changed and a new one purchased. GS is a waste of time and money in my opinion.
BTW: I know exactly where Bangor is, maybe if you told them it's a sub base and if the called the Navy the could get directions.
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